All the Wrong Reasons
by HoleInTheWorld
Summary: Set Here Comes the Son. Jess, man, come on. You can't stay here. Why not?Cause you can't. Why not? Cause you can't. Why not? Because you can't. A lot of text from the episode


All the Wrong Reasons

Disclaimer: Not mine

Feedback: Reviews are fun

_"Hey, when you say I'm going to check out a bookstore on the boardwalk, you be more specific!" Jimmy yelled at his son._

_"What?" Jess asked._

_"I have been wandering around for over an hour. I've been to three different bookstores. I have been worried sick about you, you hear me?"_

_"Sorry."_

_"Outside"_

_"But-"_

_"Outside."_

_Jimmy and Jess walked outside, onto the boardwalk. "Are you in trouble?" Jimmy asked_

_"What?"_

_"You know, when you left home, were the cops after you?"_

_"No."_

_"No cause they shouldn't be, or no cause they haven't found the head yet?"_

_"What's up, Jimmy?"_

_"You just showed up here, man."_

_"I know I did."_

_"No call, no letter, just like-"_

_"Just like you showed up in Stars Hollow with no letter, no call."_

_"Hey!"_

_"Were you in trouble?"_

_"We're not talking about me, we're talking about you."_

_"I'm not running from the cops."_

_"Then why are you here?"_

_"Why'd you come to Stars Hollow?"_

_"Hey, listen, Mr. Double-Talk, I need an answer here."_

_"Well so do I. You show up, you don't talk to me, you don't say anything. You just have a cup of coffee. Then you left. Why'd you come if you didn't even wanna talk to me?"_

_Jimmy sighed. "I did wanna talk to you."_

_"You did?"_

_"Of course I wanted to talk to you. You think a person travels all the way across the country just to listen t a Bowie song? Granted a classic off Ziggy, but still."_

_"So, what? You're telling me you just chickened out?"_

_"Yeah."_

_"Oh. Well, I came to see you."_

_"Okay."_

_"And I thought maybe I could crash for a little while."_

_"Uh huh."_

_"Just a little while. I don't even need my own room or anything. I can just sleep on the couch."_

_"Or the extra mattress we keep in the closet."_

_"Sure, that'd be fine too."_

_"You know, Sasha's always right. It drives me crazy. No matter what the situation, she's always right."_

_"Jimmy"_

_"I'd love to be right just once in a while, you know?"_

_"It wouldn't be for long."_

_"Do you know she called the Superbowl five times in a row? Who does that? What is she, a witch?"_

_"You know what, say no if you want."_

_"Jess, man, come on. You can't stay here."_

_"Why not?"_

_"Cause you can't."_

_"Why not?"_

_"Cause you can't."_

_"Why not?"_

_"Because you can't."_

_"Well, I'd ask 'why not', but it doesn't seem to be getting me anywhere."_

_"Look at me, Jess. I'm not a father. I was never a father. I left you because I wasn't a father. I mean it, the minute the ciger was finished, I was like 'What the hell are you doing? You can't take care of yourself. How are you gonna take care of someone else?"_

_"That's not why-"_

_"I can't take you in. I can't raise you."_

_"Raise me? I'm eighteen! I'm raised. I can vote. I can be drafted. It's a little late to throw me a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles birthday party."_

_"I thought you didn't come here to bust my balls."_

_"I didn't."_

_"Well, then put the bat down, man."_

_"I don't need a daddy. I just need a place to crash."_

_"Do you even understand that it's only been the last five years that I've even started puting my life together? You don't wanna be around me. I'm a screw-up. That is my genetic code."_

_"Well the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree."_

_"Don't say that. You're young. You can do anything you want."_

_"A month. Just let me stay a month."_

_"Are you listening! I have nothing to offer you. Nothing."_

_"You have nothing! I have nothing! I have no place to go. I can't stay at Luke's. I can't stay in Stars Hollow. My mother is a whackjob. I mean you're saying you're this loser and what, you don't wanna take me off this terrific path I'm headed down right now? I'm not graduating highschool. I don't know what I'm gonna do with the rest of my life, but something's telling me I better find out soon, or I'm gonna be that guy out there on the boardwalk selling the hemp hats."_

_Jimmy looked down at his feet "I have one of those. It's a good hat."_

_"Well?"_

He looked at his son. "No."

"Why?"

"Go back to Stars Hollow."

"Jimmy."

"You know, Luke hates me. And he should. I mean, the whole time he knew me, I never did one good thing with my life. And you know what I said when I saw him? I told him I changed, like that's gonna fix everthing. He didn't believe me, but I did. That's why I'm doing this."

"To prove something to Luke?"

"No. Because I changed. Because for the first time in my life, I'm doing what's best for you. You need to go home"

"Nobody want's me there."

"Don't turn out like me. Don't walk away because you think they're better off without you."

"They are."

"Jess, talk to Luke. Like, actually talk. A Bowie song and a cup of coffee's not gonna cut it. People end up travelling across the country for no reason. Just talk to him. You'll realize they're not better off."

"I don't have any money."

"I don't want money. Why does everyone think I want money?"  
"No I don't have any money to get home."

"Oh. Well, like they say, a man should always have enough money to send his estranged son across the country."

"Okay."

They started towards Jimmy's house. "People don't really say that." He told Jess. "It was a joke."

"Kinda figured."

Jess got his bag, said his goodbyes to Sasha and Lily, then he and Jimmy walked to the bus stop.

"So..." Jimmy said as they sat on the bench.

"So."

"I'm glad you came."

"Me too. Thanks for helping me out."

"No problem. And, uh, if you ever leave for the right reason, you can always come here."

"How do I know if it's the right reason?"

"Maybe one day you'll get on a plane or a bus or in a car or a boat and just go. And if you don't stop halfway through and think 'Oh my God, what am I doing?', then it's the right reason. But if you think that, even for a second, go home." He was silent for a second. "Or if the whole town just mysteriously vanishes one night, like something out of the twilight zone, you should leave then too."

"You're such a loser."

He smiled. "Glad to have shared my genes."

"Hey, if you ever want to stop by...Stars Hollow I mean, you can. There's this really nice inn, uh The Independence Inn. You can bring Sasha. Oh, and Lily. Tell her the closets are really are really nice."

"I'll keep it in mind."

"Okay."

They stood as the bus to the airport pulled up. "That's me." Jess said. "So I'll call you after I talk to Luke, tell you how it went"

"Yeah, of course."

"Good." He climbed the bus steps then turned around. "Hey."

"Yeah?"

"Thanks, Dad."

Jimmy smiled. "Anytime."

Luke was opening up the diner for the day when the bell above the door rang. He looked up to see who it was. "Jess."

"Hey." He put his bag on the floor. "I'm sorry."

"Jess, you can't keep doing this. Eventually I'm gonna stop giving you second chances."

"Have you?"

"Not yet."

"Then can I come home?"

Luke sighed. "Yeah." Jess picked up his bag and headed for the stairs. "Hey," Luke said. "Why'd you come back?"

Jess thought about it for a second. " Because, from the second I stepped on that bus the other day, I was thinking 'What the hell am I doing?"

_fin_

A/N: Sorry it's so short. I am in the midst of writing a much longer story but I usually write various chunks of my stories instead of writing chronologically, so I don't know how long it will be until I post it. I'll try to finish the first chapter soon.


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